Best Equestrian Camping near King Range National Conservation Area

I stayed here twice for a total of eight days. Many long-term Residents give the place a seedy feeling. Ultimately it is safe and secure. And well managed. The bathroom is clean, heated, free showers and the combination is changed weekly. Large grassy area with good spacing between most RVs. I was in the middle of the campground for short term parking. Because of recent rains and some soggy areas I had to overnight campers close to me. 30 amp and 50 amp power and water at each side. The largest downside to this place is the RV dump station inside the fairgrounds. It’s the worst one that I’ve ever used. It needs to be completely rebuilt. No ultimately it did work. Great location to the picturesque town of Ferndale California. Also a convenient location for exploring the Lost Coast area. 12 miles away from Eureka California which has a Costco and Patriot gas station on the south end of town has a car wash that can accommodate RVs.

This campground is very beautiful, located just north of Fort Bragg on the California coast. I witnessed the best sunset that I have ever seen in my life at this beach. However, I was unfortunate to get one campground with no trees or privacy. Additionally, this campground is more expensive than some other state parks and has limited things to explore. Also, the showers require more money to start, so if you run out of time during your shower you will need at least a dollar just to start it back up to finish rinsing off not like other State park showers. If you want to explore the area there are tons of other things too see... Including Fort Bragg, glass beach, the skunk train, Russian gulch, the town of Mendocino, Mendocino headlands, and a pigmy Forest

We camp here as much as possible. Just good ol' pit toilets, but usually not crowded, and very quiet. As Humboldt locals, we like to be away from the crowds, in the most beautiful natural areas in California. This is the trail head to the famous Lost Coast Trail, and just a stunning beach campground. Dogs allowed on leash, pop your tent in the sand. Super nice.

No big stores nearby, so you should probably get groceries in Eureka or Fortuna before heading over the hill to Petrolia. There is a small store, but this is Humboldt so they could be closed at any given point, wouldn't depend on it.

Be careful in the summer, not really sandal appropriate. The native dune plants have lots of little prickers in the sand among the campsites.

Make sure to stroll along the beach north to where the Mattole river flows into the Pacific. You will almost always find a bunch of seals hanging out on the other side of the river spit and hunting in the estuary for fist.

Incredible area, so remote you gotta commit to it!

No water at the site but we got some on our way at the county park between Honeydew and the campground. Could probably get water in Petrolia too. Plan ahead for that!

Plan ahead for lots of sun — we camped in mid-July and had a full day of sun! The ocean water was super cold (and dangerous) but the river was just right. Nice to have options.

Most stunning was these massive cliffs that open into this wild California coast. You can hike to the (non-working) lighthouse and enjoy yourself with a driftwood fire at night. Camping on the side away from the very close by beach was smart as you get a little reprieve with some shade from the shrubs and hedges (with some wildlife running through).

Animal proof trash on site, recycling too. Toilets were fine (hand sanitizer in them!) and generally pretty quiet.

One of the best little hidden gems I’ve ever camped at.

General: Two campgrounds at this state park: Pinewood (closer to Route 1 and I did not explore) and Surfwood (closer to the ocean). No hookups (at least in Surfwood, I did not check in Pinewood). You can see beautiful sunsets from the road leading to the Surfwood campground. 

Site Quality: A few had concrete pads, but most had sand driveways. Most sites were very spacious; sites 122-124 are located on a roundabout and were very large and more private than some of the others. Most sites had a utility box, and all had a picnic table and a fire ring. Some had trees separating them from other sites. 

Bathhouse: An upgrade from other California state parks we've stayed in with hot water and tile floors. No dryer or towels so make sure you bring your own. Pay showers (beginning with$1.00 for five minutes; accepts up to 15 quarters). I did not use the shower so cannot comment on how well it worked. 

Activities: Horseback riding, hiking, and biking. There is a multi-use trail that leads south from the campground. The reason I chose this campground is I wanted to see Glass Beach, however, it was fenced off with “no trespassing” signs which was disappointing.

Very Cool place to Camp and Enjoy ! I've now been 3 times and each time its a little different and always Total Zen Peace to be had !

But make sure you only go during the week, because of the rowdiness, hell raising, dune driving doing donuts, drunken idiots that are there on the weekends.

I had researched this place once I had heard of the Lost coast, and read many stories of failed weekends ... So Every time I've gone its been camping tues-thurs....most times we've been the only people there.

We've always gone up north Hwy 1 to about 4 miles past Westport and turned left on USAL Rd, ( now some one painted a big arrow on the street pointing the way ) but the first few times the turn was a lil challenging to find... anyway take that USAL Rd and drive through the forest for about 5 miles, ( very easy dirt rd when dry, treacherous and challenging when wet 4x4 when it's wet for sure ) once through the forest stop and take pics , it's so beautiful 1000-2000 ft above the Ocean, watch for California Gray whales ! Anyway, once througfh the forest come down the hill and you'll drive right across a lil wodden bridge, take an immediate left to find camping spots and the beach is just beyond the camp sites !

It's so beautiful, peaceful and wonderful here. It will continue to be a favorite for my wife Jan and I for decades to come !

[Internet. Verizon via iPhone 12: 5 mbps down and 0.16 mbps up with 56 ms ping. T-Mobile via Nighthawk MR-1100 - 3 mbps down and 0.05 up with 106 ms ping. Our booster marginally improved the speeds.]

PROS

→ Campground is adjacent to the beach. You can hear the ocean and sometimes catch peeks of the ocean from the campground.

→ Campsites have bear lockers. → Campground is pretty in the glow of sunlight. → There’s a trail to the beach and Laguna Point isn’t far.

→ The camp hosts are easy to approach in that they have an alert button you can press outside their rig and they will come outside. No wondering how to get their attention! We bought our shower tokens from the camp host.

→ This campground is protected by a buffer of coastal trees. It’s not nearly as windy at the campground as it is on the beach.

CONS

→ Showers require tokens. This seems pretty standard in California State Parks but it’s successful at deterring us from showering every night. One token gives 4 minutes of showering. Each token is $1. It’s not a lot for one-off trips but we are on a 6-week camping trip.

→ The dump station has a mandatory fee of $10. You pay with a credit card. When payment is approved, the cap to the dump hole unlocks. We didn’t use it. Again, it was successful at deterring us from using it. With pay showers we’d normal shower in the van and just run to the dump station daily to empty the tank but we didn’t. We paid for the showers. I know they are cost mitigating but it’s a factor when deciding on this campground especially if you camp a lot like us. (We are on a 6-week camping trip up the coast).

→ The shower water temperature is finicky in the women’s bathroom. When it’s just one person showering, it’s nice and hot. When two showers are going, the water temperature drops a bit. To me the temperature is important because it’s still 50° to 60° right now and I only get 8 minutes with the water. I need those 8 minutes to be comfortable not make me move faster than Speedy Gonzalez. For me this isn’t a huge concern but it is for my partner so that’s why I’m detailing it out.

→ Firewood is $10.

—————————— 4-stars - The campground is clean, enjoyable and has the camping vibe. Docking a star due to the extra fees and the water temperature. For weekend warriors I’d wager this is a 5-star campground!

[Rig. Mercedes Sprinter. 22 feet]

Dump station? - Yes, mandatory $10 Water fill? - Yes, free Clean site? - Yes Clean bathroom? - Yes Flush toilet? - Yes Showers? - Yes, token operated Laundry? - No Dish washing sink? - No

I stayed at this campsite twice two years ago. The first time was in the spring (April) with my daughters and the second time was in August that year. This is not a campsite per se, but rather a parking lot in which you chose a parking spot directly next to someone else and if you have a tent pitch it directly behind your car in the scraggly grass and sand sticker plants. There is zero privacy or distance between campers.

The fee is $20 per night. The bathrooms are disgusting. The best thing about them was a family of nesting birds above the door to the ladies restroom. We were able to watch the babies for a while which was fun, but there is also the chance that you’ll be pooped on while entering or leaving the bathroom.

The first time was just okay. We camped inside the back of my Toyota Highlander amongst mostly RVs, most of which left their loud generators and bright outside lights on long after quiet hours. I finally had to knock on our neighbors R.V. door to ask them to turn out the outside light which was shining directly into our car.

This wasn’t terrible and was completely outshone by a half day spent on the beach in the dune area. Locals surfed as families. The community seemed so tight knit and inviting. We left deciding that we’d definitely come back to spend a day on the beach later in the summer. Also, the local Samoa Cookhouse is nearby with family style breakfast, lunch and dinner served. It is a historic site and museum that used to serve the loggers in the area the food and service is awesome and has become a much looked forward to stop on our road trips to California.

When we came back we came with my husband, choosing to camp at the boat launch area again because of its proximity to the beach. The late summer campers were a very different crowd. Mostly they seemed transient. There was garbage everywhere. Beer bottles, wild pets - even an actual pig, run down RVs that were clearly full time housing for large, loud families filled the parking lot. There was loud partying far into the night.

I had my daughters car camp and locked them in while my husband and I slept in a tent behind the car. We kept being woken by a loud noise that I couldn’t identify. I thought it sounded like a bear, then maybe a plastic barrel being pulled across the concrete. Eventually - after very little sleep - we discovered it was our neighbor who had some sort of terrible sleep disorder. It was bizarre. After he woke in the morning he proceeded to urinate in from of my daughters onto the water spigot rather than in the restroom which was 50 feet away. My husband was horrified and asked what would ever possess me to bring him there. Lets just say that the beach was not reason enough.

I would not stay here again. I did not feel safe or that this was a sanitary. The price seems to attract people who are not camping so much as homeless. The bathrooms don’t get serviced often and even if they did I’m sure they’d be trashed in a matter of hours.